The Simpsons (1989) - 93 questions

Question: Why did the writers make Barney sober?

Answer: Probably as something ironic to play with the title of the episode. The title refers to the Jack Lemmon movie "The Days of Wine and Roses" which is a tragic movie about alcoholism and the devastating effects it has on the addict(s) and the people around them. Since Barney is drunk or drinking booze in every episode he's in it added a sense of irony that he was sober in this one.

Question: In the scene that shows Maude's funeral they show tombstones of previous Simpsons characters that have been killed. I had seen the episodes that had featured the deaths of Bleeding Gums Murphy, Grandpa's girlfriend and Frank Grimes but not Dr. Marvin Monroe. Is there an actual episode where they show the death of Dr. Marvin Monroe? It would be very helpful if you can show all the necessary information (episode name, season, storyline etc.)

Answer: They don't actually have an episode that shows Dr. Monroe's death. Besides the tombstone, the only mentions of his death are in Who Shot Mr. Burns (Part II), when they have the Marvin Monroe Memorial Hospital, and a brief mention in the The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular. This link gives the explanation: http://www.snpp.com/guides/lisa-3.html3.3.2

Question: what is the song playing during the musical montage with big tony and the mafia?

Answer: It's 'Woke Up This Morning' by Alabama 3. It's used in The Sopranos.

Question: Does any one know what the song is called in the episode "Weekend at Burnsies?" It's the episode with Homer on marijuana, and the song I'm referring to is the 70's sounding one, heard while he's shaving and rainbows come out of his beard.

Answer: It's "Incense and Peppermints" by Strawberry Alarm Clock - 1967.

Question: When Lisa goes to the schoolyard and tells the documentary maker about her petition, why does he tell her to tilt her head up?

Answer: He is probably used to filming people in the best light and from the best angle, and even though he wasn't filming at the time, it may have annoyed him that Lisa was not properly posed or lit for a shot.

Question: In "Island of Doctor Hibbert", when the fox around Hibbert's necks turns out to be Mr. Burns, why are Lisa and Bart so delighted to see him?

Answer: I think Bart & Lisa are happy about Mr. Burns being unable to do anything to them, as they have a bad history with him.

Question: When the Simpsons go on the TV show to try and explain themselves, what show was this a send up of where the guy speaks really loud? I believe it's a show from Fox News.

Answer: I believe the character is a parody of the "Hardball" host, Chris Matthews, who is seen by some as a loud host who gives guests no time to answer poltical questions.

Question: In "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner", Lisa mentions a website of hers when she's in the attic. Does anyone know the address? Did anyone visit the site?

Answer: The site is Lisathemovie.com. It doesn't exist.

Question: Whatever happened to the scene where Prime Minister Tony Blair hands Homer a cup of tea and Homer pours it on the carpet behind his back? I saw a picture of this in a newspaper and I was slightly disappointed this didn't appear.

Answer: A lot of scenes are filmed for the show and cut out for various reasons, yet still make it into ads for the show. This was probably one of them.

Question: Homer killed Selma in "Treehouse of Horror XIV." So why is she still alive in other Season 15 episodes?

Answer: Because Halloween episodes are not considered part of the Simpsons' series continuity (not that the writers care much about series continuity to start with). I'm surprised that you singled out this particular Halloween episode. Remember the nuclear holocaust, aliens enslaving humanity, or Homer's head becoming a donut? None of them had any lasting effect on the Simpsons' universe either.

Question: At the end of this episode when Marge was imagining what life would have been like if she was a reporter, what did she mean by the "miracle on ice that never happened" and why did she scream afterwards?

Answer: The Miracle on Ice is when the 1980 USA Ice Hockey team defeated the USSR in the semifinal round and was deemed a huge upset worldwide. The reason it was a miracle is the Russian team was highly favored, having defeated the U.S. in a preliminary game by a huge margin, and this game with them was just a precursor for the Russians to get to the championship game. She screamed because now the US hasn't won.

Question: Did John Swartzwelder quit the show? He didn't write any episodes for this season.

Answer: He took a year's break from the show. He's promised to return for Season 17.

Question: In the radio studio, when Orson Welles is going on about the invasion, he says something like "and now some music by." and it cuts to the first 1-2 seconds of a song being sung by someone in the studio. What is that song?

Answer: That song is the 1933 song "Young and Healthy" by Harry Warren. It was sung originally by Bing Crosby. Goto: www.harrywarren.org/songs/0632.htm